North American Boreal Forest Biomass Estimates from LiDAR

This dataset provides modeled estimates of aboveground biomass for land cover types within World Wildlife Fund ecoregions across the boreal forests of Alaska and Canada. The estimates are derived from a two-stage modeling process linking ground measurements to airborne Portable Airborne Laser System (PALS) LiDAR, and then to spaceborne Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) LiDAR data from NASA's ICESat satellite. Data synthesis primarily uses remote sensing data from June 2005 and 2006, with supporting airborne and land cover data spanning 1999 to 2009.

Use Cases

• Modeling carbon storage and flux across the North American boreal biome using the aboveground biomass (AGB) estimates.
• Stratifying biomass analysis by land cover type and WWF ecoregion for regional ecological studies.
• Validating or calibrating other biomass or forest structure models using the LiDAR-derived canopy structure measurements from GLAS and PALS instruments.
• Analyzing forest biomass distribution relative to ecoregion boundaries defined by the WWF global map.

Strengths

• Estimates cover a vast spatial extent, spanning the boreal biome of Alaska and Canada between 45 and 70 degrees N.
• Biomass models integrate multiple data sources: ground measurements, airborne PALS LiDAR (2005-2009), and spaceborne GLAS LiDAR from ICESat (June 2005, 2006).
• Analysis uses consistent stratification via the WWF ecoregion map and detailed land cover data from EOSD (circa 2000) and NLCD 2001.

Limitations

• The ground-based measurement data used for model calibration is not included in the dataset.
• Platform metadata conflicts on the last update date, with one source listing 2006-06-26 and another listing 2026-03-12.
• Specific column names, row counts, and dataset size are unknown from the provided sources.

Provenance

Source

NASA Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation (ICESat) satellite GLAS LiDAR, Portable Airborne Laser System (PALS), and ground-based measurements.

Collection Method

Biomass estimates derived from a series of models relating ground measurements to PALS LiDAR, and then PALS estimates to GLAS LiDAR canopy structure measurements, extrapolated by land cover type and ecoregion.

Time Range

1999 to 2009

Freshness

2026-03-12 23:33:52.669716

Geography

Boreal forest biome of Alaska and western/eastern Canada, roughly between 45 and 70 degrees N.